Universal Appeal

Diane Sears | 6/1/2006

Convention planners have been calling for more luxury hotels along International Drive since the Orange County Convention Center expanded in 2003 to become the second biggest in the nation. Now, several projects promise to change the way business travelers see central Florida.

The most dramatic is Universal Boulevard, a $1.2-billion venture that will create 10,400 hotel rooms, 6,200 homes and condos and up to 8,000 jobs. The project is spearheaded by Universal City Property Management and its president, Marc Watson, a former director of design and development at Universal Studios.

Watson and business partner Stanley Thomas, a Georgia land developer, are spending as much as $90 million to clean up hazardous waste on the property, which used to be a missile test site for Lockheed Martin, and to restore Shingle Creek to its natural state as headwaters of the Florida Everglades. They plan to leave 700 acres intact as a nature preserve.

A 2,200-acre community, Universal Boulevard will be built over the next six-plus years. It will include an urban village with hotels, dining and shopping, about 1,000 condos and townhouses, the Rosen Shingle Creek golf resort, and a neighborhood expected to attract hospitality executives with prices from less than $200,000 for condos, $350,000 for townhouses and $850,000 for single-family homes.

With Universal Boulevard and other I-Drive projects, Orlando will be better positioned to compete for the nation's largest conventions.

Tags: Dining & Travel, Central